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They might be one of Asia’s richest clubs but they couldn’t buy a win on Wednesday as Western Sydney pulled off a remarkable 1-0 victory, toppling Guangzhou Evergrande in the first leg of their Asian Champions League (ACL) quarter-final.
A lone strike from Tomi Juric on the hour was enough to conquer the ACL champions in what was a pulsating encounter which had a bizarre finish with two Evergrande players sent off at Parramatta Stadium.
Facing one of Asia’s most powerful clubs, headed by World Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi, in the A-League off-season, the Wanderers had the odds stacked against them.
But they managed to withstand all the pace and power of the three-time Chinese Super League champions, who boast a glut of internationals in their ranks, and go to China for their second leg next Wednesday with a real chance of making the semi-finals.
The game started with attacking flurries at both ends but the Wanderers soon worked their way into the match with both Labinot Haliti and Juric attempting shots.
Alberto Gilardino, who was part of Lippi’s triumphant ’06 Italian side, combined with fellow former Italian international Alessandro Diamanti to create another chance for the visitors with Wanderers defender Nikolai Topor-Stanley diving in for a crucial clearance.
Shannon Cole had a golden chance to break the deadlock just before halftime with a free header at the back post but sent it just wide.
It was Ante Covic who came to the Wanderers’ rescue next when Goa Lin set up Gilardino for a point-blank shot, the goalkeeper’s brilliant anticipation thwarting the effort.
Liao Lisheng had one last crack for Guangzhou before the break but again Covic pushed it away to safety.
The Wanderers had all the momentum from the re-start with Juric looking dangerous and, in the 60th minute, he struck.
Defender Anthony Golec played the ball in to give Juric the easy tap-in for a 1-0 lead in front of more than 17,000 fans who turned up to witness the feat on a freezing Wednesday night.
With Guangzhou desperately seeking an equaliser, tension began to fray with Zeng Linpeng sent off for elbowing Wanderers striker Mark Bridge in the 88th minute.
But things became farcical in the dying stages with Gao Lin unfairly red-carded in the 90th minute for a foul on Vitor Saba, who was making his Wanderers debut.
The incident sparked a furious outburst from Lippi who rushed onto the field to confront the referee.
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